Affectionate Pretenses Redone&Reposted
by conspiraciesandlegacies
Summary: His deep honey brown eyes met mine in that instant. For a minute, I forgot to breathe. I heard a monstrous rip, and thought that it came from my dress. But no, it wasn't my dress that had ripped. The sound came from my chest. My heart, more precisely.
1. Prologue

_Prologue_

It took me an entire lifetime to figure out how Cinderella managed to get her Prince Charming so easily. Ironically enough, I didn't figure out how she got him so easily, but that she didn't get him so easily. Most people forget that Cinderella endured years of suffering before lady luck granted her the love and affection she longed for. Usually people skip right over that part and go straight to abusing Cinderella of being a lucky bitch who didn't deserve it.

At first, I thought Cinderella stories were cliché and silly, and absolutely pointless because they never came true. I soon realized that I wasn't alone, that others also thought so. I enjoyed romance novels, but never believed them. I never believed that people could love each other to the extent that they'd die for each other, like Romeo and Juliette, that coincidence would allow them to meet someone who they'd completely fall head over heels for. I reminded myself that the books I was reading were just that: books.

After I fell completely in love with someone, and they hurt me beyond healing I thought it was over, that love after that was out of the question. But the truth of the mater is, love is limitless, you can love someone to any extent, you can fall in love countless times and you can have your heart broken countless times. The thing about emotions, though, is that they spring back like a rubber band and you can't stop them. You can't stop yourself from falling in and out of love. Even with a heart so fragile it can break with the slightest touch, you seek affection. We're only human, though.

I've gotten slightly off topic, though.

Now, at twenty one years old, I've come to a conclusion. Every woman has her Cinderella story during her life. Not all of them are as perfect—if you can call it that—as Cinderella's, but they do happen.

Personally, I don't think that a woman should look for her Prince Charming, I think they should delve deeper. I think she should find someone who would not only love her, but die for her, and she him. Women shouldn't look for their Prince Charming, they should look for their James Potter.

In each Cinderella story a woman must face trials and tribulations before snatching her Prince Charming away. Cinderella stories don't necessarily mean happy endings.

My name is Lily Evans.

Let me tell you _my_ bittersweet Cinderella story.

* * *

_Hey there!_

**_This story is based on characters created and owned by J.K. Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. This applies for any further chapters._**

_To those who haven't read Under False Pretenses, I hope you like this one. For thoses who did read it, I hope this makes up for th lack of effort in Under False Pretenses._

_The title I had really wanted to have was: Affectionate Pretenses, a Bittersweet Cinderella Story. It was too long though, so I won't technically have it as my title, but in my chapters I'll have that as my title, if you get what I mean. :)_

_I was supposed to get this beta'd, but I'm far too lazy and for too impatient to wait. Sorry!_

_I'm really supposed to be working on my other story, Torn, but I'm so bored with it that I had to start something new. Since it's the beginning of the school year, things are super hectic, so I can't give you a date for the next chapter._

_Prologues don't usually get many reviews, but please just leave a small comment, positive or critical, I won't mind! But please don't flame. :)_

_Cheers,  
__aloneBUTunafriad._

_(Don't forget to hit the purple-ish-lavender-blue colored button!)_


	2. I: Constant

_Affectionate Pretenses  
(Chapter One: Constant)_

_**Friday, December 22nd 1978,**_

"Lily, we're running late! LILY!"

Ah, Penny's melodious American tones. My favorite thing to hear in the morning. Her words didn't register in my head, as I rolled over and smashed my pillow into my head, wishing she'd shut her mouth.

"EVANS! IT'S SEVEN THIRTY!" she screamed, her voice carrying from the

Her words finally registered in my head. My mind slowly processed the words. It was seven thirty. I sighed, realizing that she was right. We were running late and if I wanted a latte I had better get up.

I took my time untangling my legs from my sheets. When I did get up, I sped up a little, knowing I only had twenty minutes to get ready. I hurried to the bathroom, dismissing the thought of a shower as I glanced at the clock. Seven thirty five.

Once in the bathroom, I scrubbed my face and gave my teeth a thorough, but quick brush. I opened the door and went into my room where I searched for some decent clothing.

"Lily," Penelope called from the kitchen, "I'm going to get us coffee, meet me in front of the coffee shop when you finish."

"Sounds good," I called back, searching for my black blouse.

I heard the front door slam behind her, as I finally managed to find my black blouse. I pulled my thin flannel shirt off, kept my white beater on, and buttoned up my blouse hurriedly. I pulled off the shorts that I slept in and pulled a pair of jeans on. I didn't bother with a jacket, but pulled my purse, along with a small stack of papers, and a pair of black leather flats with me as I slammed the door behind me. I hurried down the stairs, trying to slip into my flats, balance the papers at the same time and pop a breath mint into my mouth. I smiled at the neighbor, Greg, a twenty year old guy who me and Penny were friendly with.

"Need some help?" he asked, laughing. I glared at him, as he gave me a mocking smile.

"I'm fine," I replied through gritted teeth. As if to prove me wrong, my legs failed me, and I missed the last step and went sprawling through the air. My stack of papers went flying, the silver buckle of my designer handbag managed to clip me in the shoulder _and_ hit me in the head, and my hands reached out in a pathetic attempt to break my fall.

I groaned and muttered under my breath, "Just when I thought the day couldn't get any worse."

I turned to Greg, and saw him purse his lips, in an attempt to contain his laughter. I got up and started to assemble my papers, frustrated that he was still standing, because otherwise I could've used my wand, which was still stored safely in the confines of my purse. Once my papers were safely pressed against my chest I thanked him, put my shoes on and ran down another flight of stairs.

"Slow down Lily, it's only ten to eight," he called after me.

Still, I hurried out of the entrance of the building, and crossed the quiet street in a hurry. In front of the coffee shop, Penny stood tapping her foot impatiently.

When she caught sight of me, she raised her eyebrows. "No jacket?"

I rolled my eyes. "It's not that cold!" I exclaimed, grabbing a cup out of her hand.

"Oh, not at all," she bit back sarcastically, "It's only thirty five degrees out."

"I'll be fine."

"You'll catch a cold," she insisted.

I ignored her worried statement, and motioned to the coffee shop. I hurried inside, because, as much as I didn't like to admit it, she was right; it was freezing.

Inside the warm coffee shop there were barely any people, so me and Penny could talk freely. I opened the lid on my latte, and took a hesitant sip. It burned my tongue and melted what was left of my breath mint. We took a seat close to the door, where Penny shrugged off her jacket.

Penelope took a sip of her coffee, as I started to organize the papers, which on closer inspection appeared to be old newspapers.

"What are you using those for?" she asked me, brown eyes alight.

"I have a meeting this morning and Mindy mentioned something about a project she was assigning. Something about a current affairs article about the evolution of evil in the wizarding world. So I dug up some old articles," I explained, shrugging.

"You really enjoy this job, don't you?" she asked incredulously.

I shrugged. "It's the only constant in my life. I like constant."

Silence filled the air, but it was a comfortable silence. We were both too preoccupied with our thoughts to say anything. I assumed she was thinking of her longtime boyfriend, Johnny, and their upcoming one year anniversary.

I drained the last bit of my delicious latte regretfully. I'd buy another one at lunch.

Penny had evidently finished her coffee as well, because she had started to put on her jacket.

"Lily, I'm gonna be out with Johnny tonight, so...," she said, trailing off uncertainly. I knew she felt bad for leaving me alone all the time, but I honestly didn't mind.

"Great," I said, smiling. "When is your anniversary, anyway?"

Her whole face seemed to light up when she smiled. "Next week, the 29th."

We walked out of the familiar coffee shop, chatting about her anniversary and their plans. I hardly paid any attention to the harsh December winds that whipped my hair into my face, making my eyes water, and my cheeks sting. I quickly borrowed an elastic from Penny and tied my hair up in a high bun, perched atop my head.

We walked to the Ministry entrance, where she worked. I would apparate from there, since she had to be at work earlier than I did.

When we reached the phone booth, I wished her luck with Johnny, and she apologized for leaving me,

"Sorry about leaving, but I didn't know you'd be home, or else I would have planned our date at another—"

I cut her off, laughing gently. "I'll be fine. Just don't do anything I wouldn't do," I said, winking playfully. She rolled her eyes, but a smile lingered on her face nonetheless.

I hurried away, down the familiar deserted alleyway that I usually apparated from.

I apparated to the _Daily Prophet_'s headquarters, and the familiar surroundings enveloped me comfortingly. My only constant.

* * *

My desk was recognizable by the cluttered mess atop it. The area near my desk was surrounded by various papers, old articles, missing halves of quills, and broken ink wells. I sighed and pulled my chair out, clearing some space for the new articles I had brought. I set them down on another stack of precariously piled papers, before hurrying to the meeting that was supposed to take place in five minutes. I smiled at some of the people I knew, who were also heading to the staff meeting we were supposed to be having. Meetings like these weren't too common. They only happened in September, when we received the graduating students who would become interns, or when we had long term assignment. I figured maybe we had a few late arrivals. 

I walked into the east wing of the building, where most of the staff meetings were held. Georgia caught up to me.

"Hey Lily," she said, smiling brightly.

I smiled back at her. "Any idea what this meeting is about?"

She grinned. "New staff member and she's finally picking who's going to do that current affairs article. Everyone's talking about it!"

My heart skipped a beat. I felt sixteen all over again, wishing desperately that I would get Head Girl. It was something I had been waiting for for a long time. We entered the room together in silence.

It looked just as it had the last time I'd been in here, over two weeks ago. Too neat for my liking. A long wooden table filled up most of the room. There was room for about ten people to be seated. Toward the back, Mindy, the editor, had her desk and a filing cabinet, where I knew she kept all the old issues of the _Prophet_.

At the table, half of the people were seated already. I took a seat near the middle, next to George and Helen, another one of the girls who worked at the _Prophet_. Mindy was sitting at her desk, waiting for the room to fill, exasperatedly.

"I thought I asked everyone to be here by half past." she said, exasperated and anxious to start. I glanced at the clock by her desk. It read precisely half past eight. Mindy waved her wand at a stack of cards that were at her desk. They distributed themselves. I read,

_You are hereby invited to the annual Prophet Gala,  
for a night of dancing and dinner.  
At 7:30PM,  
January 27th, 1979  
We hope to see you there._

I smiled slightly. I couldn't remember the last time I had gone shopping for shoes. Penny, of course, would be elated. My American roommate was the best person to go shopping with. You wouldn't have to move an inch, she'd find you millions of things to choose from, and in the end, she would simply pick one out for you, with or without your consent.

Mindy had taken her seat, since several others had arrived. Only three seats were left empty. Mindy glowered at the empty seats, impatient. She cleared her throat and straightened up in her seat at the front of the room. "I guess we can start now —," she started, wrinkling her nose, before being cut off by the sound of the door.

The man who had opened the door was trying to enter discretely. He ultimately failed, since everyone there stared at him curiously, for I assumed he was the new staff member. He was good-looking, I couldn't help but notice. Angelic looking. I recognized him faintly from somewhere. His dark blond hair was swept back causally, his blue eyes alight, and a wide, sheepish grin plastered on his face.

"Late on your first day, Ben, not a good first impression," Mindy said, her tone reprimanding, but her lips strained to contain a playful smile.

His grin widened. "What can I say, my alarm clock didn't ring," he said, chuckling.

"Well, have a seat," she said gesturing to the seat next to Helen. He sat down, while Mindy stood, preparing to start. "So, to start this meeting off, I'd like to introduce Ben White, who's the newest addition to the staff. I'm sure someone could give him a tour after the meeting," she said, eying us carefully. A few of the women around me leaned in to pay closer attention. I rolled my eyes. "Lily, you can give him a tour," she said, smiling. She had caught my eye-roll. I raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything.

Mindy pursed her lips in amusement, but continued. "Now, as for the current affairs article, that you guys have been waiting patiently for, I've made a decision. This is going to be a long term article which will be featured in the New Year day's paper. I've chosen to do things differently for this particular assignment. Each one of you will write this article, and I will choose the best out of the work you hand in. I'm going to have the interns write the rest of that day's paper, so you only have one chance to get published in that paper. Now, remember this is the first paper of the year, so we're expecting it to be good. When you come back on the twenty sixth, I'll hand out a list of requirements. For now, just find whatever information on the history of evil in the Wizarding world. Understood?" She paused for questions. When no one said anything, she continued, "Now, I'm going to owl you your topics for the next three days, and I expect you all to have the twenty fourth's article ready by tomorrow. The same goes for the twenty fifth; I need it by the night of the twenty fourth. On the twenty fifth, you'll need to send me the article for the twenty sixth." The annoyance in the air was tangible. "I know, I know. It's frustrating, but we need those articles, and I don't want you guys in the office for the holidays, so this should be a bit better," she said, in an attempt to console us.

I inwardly snorted. I didn't see the difference, work in the office or work at home, what was the difference.

She waved her wand at the door. That was our cue to leave. "Happy Christmas, don't get totally pissed. I want you here on time, on the twenty sixth," she said, chuckling as we got up.

I got up and started to shuffle out of the room. Someone pulled on my wrist gently. I turned around to see Ben, the new guy, grinning at me.

"What happened to the tour you were supposed to give me?" he asked, eyes alight, grin plastered on his face.

I didn't want to be rude, especially since he hadn't done anything, but I'd much rather go finish the article I was supposed to hand in by five today. I hesitated for a moment, biting my lip, as the grin slid off his face.

"Maybe not then...," he finished, eyebrows raised a tad bit.

"Look," I explained, "I'd really love to, but I just — I have so much work to do, and I really can't, but I'll gladly show you to your office."

"Er, no, it's fine. I'll manage," he said, brushing me off coldly.

I heard a soft chuckle from the back of the room, as he stalked out huffily.

I turned to Mindy, raising my eyebrows exasperatedly. "You could have let him off a little more easily, he's a nice man, very sweet, and great looks!" she said, laughing.

"I didn't even say anything. Why is everyone so pissy today?" I asked, frowning.

* * *

Hey there!  
Well, here's the first chapter. :)  
I know it's a lot different than the first version, which I'll be taking down soon, but it follows the same plot, the details however (like Lily's job) are refined (or so I hope!).  
I fixed up the prologue a bit, so if you haven't already, just check that out.  
As for updates, I would say the next one would be in three or four weeks, at the earliest, since I have huge exams that I should be studying for right now...  
Hmm... anywhoo, I hope you enjoyed.  
PLEASE REVIEW:) 

lots of love,  
thebrokenarchangel (previously known as aloneBUTunafraid)


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